Cleanse: Week One

 

Week One:

Pre-Cleanse and Colon Cleanse

What the Colon Cleansing Kit™ Does

1) Assures Regular & Comfortable Bowel Movements*

Our herbal stimulant formula not only helps the bowels move regularly (2–3 times/day), but also includes carminative herbs that reduce or eliminate cramps, gas and griping that could be caused if stimulating herbs are taken by themselves.

2) Removes Old, Accumulated Waste from Your Small & Large (Colon) Intestines*

In the following section (see Removing Built-up Waste), we’ll explain how cleansing combined with a liquids-only fast enables our herbal blend to literally bind to and pull out old waste that is stuck to your intestinal walls.* Our Colon Cleansing Kit™ may alternatively be done without fasting, providing a milder cleanse for increased regularity and gentler cleansing.*

3) Rejuvenates the Digestive System*

The herbal formulas of the Colon Cleansing Kit™ are designed to restore and encourage the natural functions of your entire digestive system, including the stomach, both the small and large (colon) intestines, liver, gallbladder and pancreas.*

Stimulates digestive secretions*

Provides tonic support for digestive organs and mucus membranes*

Decongests the liver and stimulates bile flow*

4) Prepares You for the Internal Cleansing Kit™*

The Colon Cleansing Kit™ can be used (2-4 times/year) as a stand-alone cleansing therapy – or as the first step of our Complete Cleansing Program™. It is highly recommended to fully cleanse the colon prior to beginning the Internal Cleansing Kit™. A well-functioning colon enables the herbal formulas to work directly with the other five pathways of cleansing (liver, lungs, kidneys, skin and lymph), without having to deal with a “backed-up” body sewer (colon) – the 6th pathway.* And by removing old, accumulated wastes from the intestines, this allows the Para-Cleansing formulas of the Internal Cleansing Kit™ to rebalance the unwanted para-organisms population more easily and more completely.*

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

Week1— Clearing and Cleaning the mental, emotional and spiritual bodies–

We will use the following 1st and 2nd principles of each topic, as they apply to the nature of the Colon and Intestines, to look at the symbolic value of how we digest, process, assimilate and eliminate experiences in our lives.

Chakras 1&2: Base and Sacral

Please read descriptions at www.myss.com/library/chakras

1st Chakra

The 1st chakra is also referred to as the “root” chakra. The Sanskrit name for it is “muladhara” which means root/base. It is located at the base of the spine. There is an energy stored under this chakra which is often referred to as the “coiled serpent.” Kundalini yoga focuses on stimulating this energy.

The 1st chakra is the one that helps to keep you grounded and centered. It is associated with survival, instincts and basic communication. The concerns associated with this chakra involve food, clothing, shelter – practical things. The emotion associated with this chakra is fear. The less we are connected to the earth, the more fear we have. To ground yourself, go for a walk, be out in nature.

The organs and glands associated with the 1st chakra are:

• Adrenal glands
• Organs of elimination (kidney, skin, colon), bones, hair, nails, legs
  • If the 1st chakra is sluggish, you might have constipation.
  • If the 1st chakra is overstimulated, you might have diarrhea.

The colors associated with the 1st chakra are red and black. Red is the color of blood, of life. Black, the secondary color, helps to reground us with the earth. Having black stones nearby helps to reground.

If your 1st chakra is sluggish, wear red to stimulate it; black will pull it down. Very often people who live in cities will wear black; it helps to ground them.

The sense associated with the 1st chakra is the sense of smell.

The element for this chakra is earth. This chakra grounds us to the earth.

The foods for this chakra are protein-rich foods and red foods.

If the 1st chakra is congested, we may have a tendency towards hoarding things, being materialistic. To get the energy moving, let go of things, give them away, and release them. This pertains to mental and emotional things as well as material things. Holding on to things keeps the energy from flowing freely.

In yoga, standing poses balance and strengthen the 1st chakra, which helps the body become more grounded.

2nd Chakra

The Sanskrit name for the 2nd chakra is “Svadhisthana.” This word means “dwelling place of the Self.”

The 2nd chakra is located in the lower abdomen, about an inch below the navel.

The 2nd chakra is associated with creativity and procreation. It also governs emotional and sensual aspects of our lives.

The emotion associated with the 2nd chakra is passion. If you grew up in an environment where emotions were repressed or denied, this chakra may be deficient. Some signs of deficiency are fear of pleasure, being out of touch with one’s feelings and resistance to change.

Signs of an excessive 2nd chakra may be overly emotional behavior, sexual addiction or poor boundaries. Excessiveness can be caused by living in an environment where there is a constant need for pleasurable stimulation, such as entertaining or partying. Frequent emotional drama can cause excessiveness also.

The organs/glands/parts of the body associated with this chakra are:

• Reproductive organs
• All liquids in the body – the circulation of blood, urine, menstruation, tears
• Hips, sacrum, low back
• Kidneys

The element for the 2nd chakra is water, thus the association with the liquids of the body. Water flows, moves and changes. A balanced 2nd chakra allows us to do that also.

The color for the 2nd chakra is orange. Orange is a very stimulating color because of its vibrational energy.

The sense for the 2nd chakra is taste, especially a sweet taste.

The foods for the 2nd chakra are orange foods, sweet foods and liquids.

In yoga, backward and forward bends and squatting strengthen the 2nd chakra.

Yoga Sutras: Yamas and Niyamas

1) Yama

Yama is social behavior, how you treat others and the world around you. These are moral principles. Sometimes they are called the don’ts or the thou shalt nots. There are five yamas:

• Nonviolence (ahimsa). Do no harm to any creature in thought or deed. In his book Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda asks Mahatma Gandhi the definition of ahimsa. Gandhi said, “The avoidance of harm to any living creature in thought or deed.” Yogananda asked if one could kill a cobra to protect a child. Gandhi maintained he would still hold to his vow of ahimsa, but added, “I must confess that I could not serenely carry on this conversation were I faced by a cobra.”
• Truth and honesty (satya). Tell no lies. Cheating on your income taxes falls into this category.
• Nonstealing (asteya). Do not steal material objects (a car) or intangibles such as the center of attention or your child’s chance to learn responsibility or independence by doing something on his own.
• Nonlust (brahmacharya). Don’t worry; this is not a call to celibacy. Many yogis of old were married and had families of their own. The person who practices brahmacharya avoids meaningless sexual encounters and, as the well-known teacher B.K.S. Iyengar puts it, “sees divinity in all.”
• Nonpossessiveness (aparigraha). Free yourself from greed, hoarding, and collecting. Do you really need more shoes, another car, or to hog the conversation every time you see your friends? Make your life as simple as possible.

2) Niyama

Niyama is inner discipline and responsibility, how we treat ourselves. These are sometimes called observances, the do’s, or the thou shalts. There are five niyamas:

• Purity (shauca). Purity is achieved through the practice of the five yamas, which help clear away the negative physical and mental states of being. Keep yourself, your clothing, and your surroundings clean. Eat fresh and healthy food. The next time you joke about treating your body like a temple, think of this niyama.
• Contentment (santosha). Cultivate contentment and tranquility by finding happiness with what you have and who you are. Seek happiness in the moment, take responsibility for where you are, and choose to grow from there.
• Austerity (tapas). Show discipline in body, speech, and mind. The purpose of developing self-discipline is not to become ascetic, but to control and direct the mind and body for higher spiritual aims or purposes.
• Study of the sacred text (svadhyaya). Study sacred texts, which are whatever books are relevant to you and inspire and teach you. Education changes a person’s outlook on life. As Iyengar says, a person starts “to realize that all creation is meant for bhakti (adoration) rather than for bhoga (enjoyment), that all creation is divine, that there is divinity within himself and that the energy which moves him is the same that moves the entire universe.”
• Living with an awareness of the Divine (ishvara-pranidhana). Be devoted to God, Buddha, or whatever you consider divine.

8-Fold Path: Right View and Right Intention

1. Right View

Right view is the beginning and the end of the path, it simply means to see and to understand things as they really are and to realise the Four Noble Truth. As such, right view is the cognitive aspect of wisdom. It means to see things through, to grasp the impermanent and imperfect nature of worldly objects and ideas, and to understand the law of karma and karmic conditioning. Right view is not necessarily an intellectual capacity, just as wisdom is not just a matter of intelligence. Instead, right view is attained, sustained, and enhanced through all capacities of mind. It begins with the intuitive insight that all beings are subject to suffering and it ends with complete understanding of the true nature of all things. Since our view of the world forms our thoughts and our actions, right view yields right thoughts and right actions.

2. Right Intention

While right view refers to the cognitive aspect of wisdom, right intention refers to the volitional aspect, i.e. the kind of mental energy that controls our actions. Right intention can be described best as commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement. Buddha distinguishes three types of right intentions: 1. the intention of renunciation, which means resistance to the pull of desire, 2. the intention of good will, meaning resistance to feelings of anger and aversion, and 3. the intention of harmlessness, meaning not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively, and to develop compassion.

Intention: Creating a Mission Statement

**What do you really want from this cleanse?

Take some time to create a statement of intention that describes what you want to experience and achieve:

Example:

“I want a better relation to my body and better eating habits from doing this cleanse.  I want to eat with more consciousness and

awareness of how my body feels from certain foods.  I want to understand how my thoughts and emotions are connected to the things I eat.

I want to experience greater love and acceptance of my body through this cleanse.”

**What are you ready to let go of?  **What do you want to make room for?

Make it your own, it can be anything!